Non-Retirement Benefits at Talent Tree Staffing Services

Non-retirement benefits provide several advantages to both employer and employee, as benefits are typically designed to make things easier for the recipient, professionally and personally. This paper will examine five non-retirement benefits offered at Talent Tree Staffing Services, including employee recognition programs and paid time off (PTO).

It is common for companies to offer both vacation time and sick time to employees to allow them to get much needed rest and relaxation away from the office. In many cases, however, the sick time can only be used if the employee is sick, which means often sick days do not get used or employees abuse the benefit by calling in sick when they may not be ill. Talent Tree, in an effort to alleviate both of these issues, offers its employees PTO time instead of sick and vacation time. PTO allows an employee a certain number of days off in a year that they may use for any reason without question. Talent Tree has a generous PTO plan in which the employee gets twelve days off the first year, and fifteen days off thereafter until the employee hits his or her fifth year of employment. At that time, the employee will receive twenty days of PTO. In addition, Talent Tree offers two floating holidays per year, which means on holidays such as Martin Luther King Day and the day after Thanksgiving, if the employee chooses to work that day, they may take another day off of their choosing in its place.

Talent Tree recognizes employees generously for their achievements by choosing both an employee of the quarter and an employee of the year. Each regional manager chooses one person working in the field in his region who he feels has done outstanding work for the quarter. One all nominees are submitted, the executive team of Talent Tree chooses the winner. Then, out of the four EOQs, the president of the company chooses an employee of the year. The employee of the quarter is awarded a plaque and a gift certificate of some sort, and the employee of the year is sent on a trip to the tropical location in which the current year's awards banquet will be held. At that time, the employee is presented with an award of recognition. Talent Tree also makes it a point to recognize temporary employees each month with some type of gift and a certificate.

In addition to the first two benefits mentioned, Talent Tree offers a host of other benefits, such as; a discounted membership to 24-Hour Fitness, a cell phone allowance of $40, and tuition reimbursement. Each of these benefits is designed to help employees with personal expenses that might otherwise be a challenge. In an industry where many employees work partially on commission, having these additional benefits is welcome.

Both employees and employers benefit from non retirement benefits plans. Work is the place where many people spend the majority of their days, and it is no secret that working long hours causes stress. It has been statistically proven that exercise is a way to alleviate stress, yet a gym membership can be extremely expensive, not to mention a commitment that many are not willing to make long term. Talent Tree offers a discounted membership to 24 Hour Fitness, a gym that does not require a year long contract to be signed. Therefore, employees are not only saving money on the membership, but they also do not have to make any long term decisions, as they can pay the membership on a month to month basis and cancel at any time without penalty. The employee benefits because the exercise may be the stress reliever needed at the end of a long day. The employer benefits because when employees are stress free, their work will most likely become more productive.

Tuition assistance is another benefit that helps both employer and employee. Employees are offered the opportunity to get an education that may not be affordable or available to them otherwise. The employer will also benefit as employees become more knowledgeable about specific aspects of their jobs or of business in general through taking classes and obtaining a degree.

The one benefit that I, as a Talent Tree employee, wish would be offered would be adoption assistance. There are so many children in the US alone who need loving parents and homes, yet the price of adoption can be as high as $20,000-$50,000. There are many companies who offer assistance to employees wanting to adopt, in the form of financial support as well as giving the employee the time off necessary to work on all adoption proceedings. This is something that I would personally benefit from, as would so many other millions of Americans interested in adoption but unable to afford the cost or the time away from work.

Factors involved in choosing non-retirement benefits programs depend on the company and the type of employees working for the company. Some of the financial benefits of Talent Tree, such as the tuition assistance and cell phone reimbursement are offered as a means of supplement to help make up for months where commissions are small or none. Gym memberships might be offered in industries that are high stress, such as finance and investments.

The benefits package offered by a company may be the reason a candidate accepts or declines a job offer. Although there are some aspects of Talent Tree's benefits package that are lacking as compared to other companies, overall, the company offers a package that will enhance productivity of the associates as well as give many the opportunity to enjoy their lives outside of work.
References

(2006) Talent Tree Benefits Overview Retrieved from Talent Tree Crystal Intranet site, September 22, 2006